New York rangers rescue several lost hikers

The following is a list of highlights of search and rescue missions carried out by New York Department of Environmental Conservation forest rangers between June 12 to 18, 2017.

Town of Bolton
Warren County
Search: On June 12 at 7:53 p.m., Warren Count 911 contacted DEC Ray Brook Dispatch requesting assistance for a lost hiker. The 40-year-old man became lost while hiking the trail between Cat and Thomas mountains. The male subject was able to provide cell phone and GPS coordinates of his location. Forest Rangers Arthur Perryman and Evan Donegan responded to the trailhead and began hiking in to his location. The subject crossed paths with another hiking group and eventually linked up with the Rangers. The Rangers assisted the group down to the trailhead, and the subject was in good health.

Town of Thurman
Warren County
Search: On June 12, New York State Police contacted Lt. John Solan requesting assistance from the Forest Rangers regarding a 69-year-old male who went missing on June 7. The man was last seen at his campground in the village of Lake George and was volunteering at the annual Americade rally. The subject, Robert “Mike” Vanderhoof, left the campground riding a red Honda Enduro motorcycle with Kentucky plates. On June 13, Rangers coordinated search efforts with the support of New York State Police (NYSP) and DEC Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs). As a result of search efforts the subject was found deceased off a lightly traveled road.

Town of Brookhaven
Suffolk County
Prescribed Fire: An 8.4-acre prescribed fire was successfully completed on Brookhaven National Lab (BNL) property. The fire was conducted by Forest Ranger Bryan Gallagher, who served as the burn boss. The interagency fire crew was made up of members from BNL Fire Department, BNL personnel, DEC staff, and Forest Rangers Joseph Pries, Brandon Poulton, and John Franceschina. The goal of the prescribed fire was to reduce woodland fuel loads and enhance nesting habitat for the eastern whip-poor-will, a medium-sized bird with a large, rounded head and stout chest.

Town of North Alba
Essex County
Rescue: On June 15, Ray Brook Dispatch received a request for assistance for a 27-year-old male from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who had reported a possible fractured ankle near the Lake Colden Outpost. The subject reported that he and his companions were camping across the lake from the outpost. A NYSP helicopter was used to transport Forest Rangers Megan McCone and James Giglinto into Lake Colden. Upon arrival, the Rangers crossed Lake Colden by row boat and located the subject. The subject was evaluated, treated, and loaded into the rowboat and returned to the Lake Colden Outpost. He was subsequently loaded into the helicopter and flown to AMC Saranac Lake for medical treatment.

Town of Schroon
Essex County
Search: On June 17 at 1:58 p.m., DEC Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from Essex County 911 regarding a family of five lost on Bear Mountain in Schroon Lake. The father and his four children, all under the age of 14, became lost while descending the trail. Forest Rangers Arthur Perryman and Benjamin Baldwin responded and located the family. The subjects were assisted down to the Pyramid Lake Camp, where they were reunited with the remainder of the family.

Town of Keene
Essex County
Rescue: On June 17, DEC’s Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from Essex County 911 stating there was a 45-year-old man who was dehydrated and suffering from a knee injury. Forest Rangers Kevin Burns, James Giglinto, Robbi Mecus, and an Assistant Forest Ranger responded to the trailhead and hiked in approximately one mile, where they assessed the man’s condition. After rehydrating, the man regained his strength and was able to walk out under his own power. The Rangers assisted him down the trailhead where an ambulance was waiting. The subject was then transported to Elizabethtown Hospital where he received further medical care.

Town of Shandaken
Ulster County
Search: On June 17, Central Dispatch was contacted by a 24-year-old male subject stating that his hiking party was lost on Panther Mountain. The caller stated that no one was hurt but they had limited water supplies and battery life on their cell phones. Forest Rangers Russell Martin and Nathan Shea responded to the trailhead to conduct a search. Ranger Shea hiked up the Fox Hollow Trail to intercept the lost subjects and located the party in exhausted, but otherwise good, condition. The party was rehydrated and provided with headlamps prior to returning to their vehicle at the Giant Ledge trailhead.

Town of Ticonderoga
Essex County
Search: On June 17, DEC Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from NYSP Troop B Communications requesting assistance for a missing 10-year-old boy in the Pharaoh Lake Wilderness area. The boy was on a hike with his family in a group of 10. The subject became separated from his family when the group split up on the trail. Six Forest Rangers responded and began checking the trail systems. NYSP K-9 units searched the trails with negative results and a NYSP helicopter flew over the surrounding area with negative results. Throughout the night the search parties continued to look for the missing boy but were unable to locate him. By morning the search party grew to include 23 Forest Rangers, NYSP SORT members, NYSP helicopter, and Essex County Sheriff’s Deputies. After spending the night in the wilderness alone, Forest Rangers James Waters and Jason Scott located the frightened boy in good health at approximately 8:50 a.m. He walked out with Rangers and was returned to his family after being evaluated by Schroon Lake EMS.

One Response

Greetings from Klamath County, Oregon. Just wanted to let someone in your organization know the outstanding job Robbi Mecus has been doing here on the North Pelican Fire. When Robbi took over the Plans Section, she brought order out of chaos on our Type 3 IMT. I had the pleasure of working for her as GISS and can say without hesitation that I would gladly work under her direction anytime, anyplace! In the mid 1980’s, I was named IC on the first multi-agency IMT, covering Southern Oregon, Northern California, and Northern Nevada. I would have loved to have had someone of Robbi’s grit and determination on my team back then. I hope this message makes it’s way to Robbi’s supervisor.
Thanks for allowing Robbi to come to Oregon and give us a much needed hand!